As a part of its “South Asia expedition“, Acumen, which helps worldwide universities from nations together with the UK, US, Japan, Eire, and Canada to develop their presence globally, took 18 universities – seven of them from the UK – to GIFT Metropolis, the rising central enterprise district on the outskirts of Ahmedabad.
The go to, which explored GIFT Metropolis “to grasp the area’s financial and innovation narrative”, got here as three UK universities, Coventry, Queen’s Belfast, and Surrey, introduced plans to determine campuses there by 2026.
From interactive discussions on addressing recruitment challenges and strengthening enrolments for each present and future vertical campuses, to exploring revolutionary partnership fashions, the initiative sought to “create a channel of communication” between the schools and GIFT Metropolis officers for future collaborations, in line with Acumen.
“The dialog with the officers was centred on understanding how UK universities view GIFT Metropolis, what sort of help they could want, and the best way to strengthen engagement. They have been particularly curious about determining the best way to entice the best scholar teams, the best way to improve enrolments, and the way to make sure that the mannequin appeals to each establishments and learners,” Sutripti Sengupta, senior recruitment adviser, supporting College of Lincoln, advised The PIE Information.
UK universities can contribute to the increasing imaginative and prescient of GIFT Metropolis by collaborating on analysis and growth in fields akin to digital finance, good cities, and local weather
Priyanka Gughe, Metropolis St. George’s, College of London
The colleges, which met with GIFT Metropolis officers together with IFSCA leaders Dipesh Shah, Ok. Rajaraman, and Akshat Ganeriwala, additionally toured the Australian establishments of Deakin College and the College of Wollongong – the one two worldwide campuses established within the area thus far.
Each Deakin and Wollongong’s India campuses, which launched their first applications in 2024 and now have round 60 college students between them pursuing postgraduate research in cyber safety, enterprise analytics, and monetary expertise, stay a piece in progress as they appear to develop their consumption, applications, and trade networks within the coming years.
Although the Deakin go to proved eye-opening for UK universities in a constructive approach, any comparable transfer by a UK establishment in GIFT Metropolis would probably place higher emphasis on return on funding, an space the place Deakin confronted challenges, as reported by Careers360.
“The infrastructure at Deakin’s GIFT Metropolis campus is spectacular – intently replicating the requirements seen on worldwide campuses. It displays a robust dedication to high quality and design,” acknowledged Nosika Janbandhu, recruitment advisor, supporting College of Portsmouth.
“Nevertheless, for UK universities, one of many key concerns when exploring engagement in GIFT Metropolis would be the return on funding (ROI) for college students. In markets like Australia, the place tuition charges are comparatively excessive, the worth proposition of a GIFT Metropolis campus turns into clearer. For UK establishments, the place charges are comparatively decrease, the equation is extra nuanced.”
Whereas each GIFT Metropolis and the College Grants Fee, India’s nodal physique for increased training, have their very own frameworks for attracting worldwide universities, what makes GIFT profitable is its comparatively versatile regulatory surroundings.
The Gujarat-based area has eased guidelines on 100% international foreign money repatriation and tax exemptions, and advantages from proximity to monetary firms; in distinction, worldwide universities organising elsewhere in India underneath UGC norms face stricter oversight on tutorial choices, income, admissions, and different elements.
Such regulatory ease might allow UK universities not solely to ship tutorial applications by way of department campuses but additionally to discover a wider vary of student-friendly alternatives.
“Greater than only a place to obtain training, GIFT Metropolis is a vibrant ecosystem that mixes sustainability, expertise, and finance to offer college students firsthand publicity to sectors influencing the world economic system,” acknowledged Annette Vincent Sebastian, senior recruitment adviser – South Asia, supporting Aberystwyth College.
“This supplies direct entry to internships, analysis initiatives, and employment alternatives with prime fintech, banking, consulting, and rising expertise firms for college students attending UK college campuses in GIFT Metropolis.”
Furthermore, in line with Sengupta, with sustainability and inexperienced engineering embedded in UK curricula, graduates from potential India campuses can be “nicely geared up to drive GIFT Metropolis’s infrastructure and innovation”.
“UK universities can contribute to the increasing imaginative and prescient of GIFT Metropolis by collaborating on analysis and growth in fields akin to digital finance, good cities, and local weather,” acknowledged Priyanka Gughe, senior recruitment adviser, supporting Metropolis St. George’s, College of London.
However establishing a presence within the under-construction GIFT Metropolis is just not with out challenges, because the area remains to be working to draw professionals and organisations to an space that continues to be solely partially developed.
Although extra worldwide universities are anticipated to enter the CBD within the coming years, establishments like Wollongong beforehand needed to delay their graduation within the area resulting from “extreme monsoon climate and waterlogging” and challenges associated to campus availability.
As UK universities weigh when and the best way to set up in GIFT, they’re actively participating with faculties and counsellors throughout Gujarat, one in every of India’s main sources of outbound college students.
The Acumen go to additionally led the UK universities to go to faculties akin to Ahmedabad Worldwide, Zebar, Udgam, Adani Worldwide, GEMS Genesis, Riverside and Apple International, the place college students now intention for applications past the normal decisions.
“College students are pondering past conventional profession paths and exploring areas like filmmaking, sustainability, design, and house science,” acknowledged Sengupta.
“We additionally famous that college students from grades 9/11 are actively exploring summer season college alternatives, indicating rising curiosity in pre-university publicity to worldwide training,” added Janbandhu.
Final month, in affiliation with the British Council, Acumen held a pre-departure session for tons of of Indian college students with 15 UK universities, at a time when the cohort stays the UK’s largest regardless of a pointy decline over the previous 12 months.
“Pre-departure briefings are a superb option to put together for what lies forward, providing sensible insights into finding out and residing within the UK,” acknowledged Alison Barrett MBE, nation director, British Council India.
“It was a pleasure to host Acumen’s Pre-Departure Briefing at our Delhi workplace. The passion amongst college students getting ready to review within the UK was really inspiring.”
